Jo Cox was elected as MP for Batley and Spen as Labour held the seat with a slightly increased majority.

Mrs Cox, who won 21,826 votes on the night inherited the seat from Mike Wood, who stood down after 18 years of representing the area in the Commons, having won in the 1997 Labour landslide.

Imtiaz Ameen of the Conservatives finished second with 15,769 votes, with UKIP’s Aleks Lukic in third with 9,080.

The Lib Dems fell into fourth with 2,396 votes, while the Greens clocked in with around half that figure.

With the result declared at around 6.15pm - long after Labour leader Ed Miliband had conceded defeat - mother of two Mrs Cox admitted the slightly increased majority was a surprise.

“We didn’t expect that at all but I am humbled and honoured to have been selected as MP for Batley and Spen,” she said.

“It’s been a really good, local, positive campaign full of energy and ethusiasm and I think people saw that. I’m a local lasse and I care about this community.

“I’m not nervous at all about taking this on. I’ve been to warzones, worked all over the world and I’m a mother, so I’m used to a challenge.

Reflecting on the national circumstances, she added: “It’s a bad night for Labour but as a party we have come back from bigger setbacks than this.”

Mrs Cox said that one of her priorities as MP would be improving Batley town centre, which has been beset by high street failings and shop closures in recent years.

Tackling Islamophobia and improving integration will also be high on her agenda, she added.

The Batley and Spen seat has seen a number of alterations to its make up since it was first created in 1983, with Heckmondwike one of several areas to have been shifted between constituency boundaries. However, no further changes have been made since the 2010 election.

The constituency turnout came in at 64 per cent, a three point drop from 2010.

Mrs Cox added her thanks to her team, saying: “I’m really proud of my team. I couldn’t have asked for more from any of them.

“My campaign has been about talking to people about the issues that affect them here in Batley. And my door will always be open to constituents to come and chat to me.

Paying tribute to her predecessor she said: I know there’s plenty of people who would like to say thankyou to Mike Wood for all his hard work. He’s done a great job over such a long time.”

Batley and Spen result: Labour hold

Jo Cox (Labour Party) - 21,826

Imtiaz Ameen (Conservative Party) - 15,769

Aleks Lukic (UK Independence Party) - 9,080

John Lawson (Liberal Democrats) - 2,396

Ian Bullock (Green Party) - 1,232

Dawn Wheelhouse (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) - 123

Karl Varley (Patriotic Socialist Party) - 53

Majority: 6,057

Turnout: 64.7 per cent

Follow all the latest General Election news from across Yorkshire on our live feed here: http://bit.ly/1DTCPYf